Electric sign.



WILLIAM HOLDEN wnaxs, or NEWYQRK, N. Y.

\ ELECTRIC SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1912.

Application filed December 20, 1911. Serial No. 666,995.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HOLDEN VVEEKs,a citizen of the United States, re-

siding in the city, county, and State of New York, and whose post-otfice address is 165 Broadway, in said city, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Signs; and I do hereby declare that'the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to electric advertising signs of the class in which letters or other characters are caused to move about on the sign by closing and opening the electric lighting circuits through predetermined ones of a cluster of electric lamps. An example of a specific sign of this class and of specific means for operating it is shown in United States Letters Patent No. 572,158, dated December 1, 1896.

My improvement consists in a special sign of this general character in which the specific letters or characters spelling the Word or words to be advertised are caused to move and'tumble about in apparently careless and meaningless fashion, and then to fall into line or position one by one in regular order so as clearly to spell out the word or words to be advertised, and then to repeat indefinitely.-

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I shall first describe in detail the mode in which I carry into practice and then distinctly claim the invention.

Reference is to e had by numbers to the accompanying drawing, in which like parts are designated by the same letters of reference in both figures.

Figure 1 represents diagrammatically my improved sign with the letters U. S. I. T. scattered and tumbling about in disorder and confusion, and then falling in regular order into line to form the arbitrary word USIT. Fig. 2 represents diagrammatically means for operating said sign.

To display the arbitrary word USIT by my improved sign, I arrange firstly, as indicated by the dotted line 10, an irregular line of individual electric lamps or clusters of lamps, each forming't-he letter and extending from its initial position 11 toits final position 12 in the wordff l'lirough a' consecutive series of intermediate posit-ions, 13,'so that as the current is switched successively from the initial position 11, through the intermediate positions 13 to the final position 12, the letter .U will be shown moving and tumbling about, as indicated roughly by its path 10, until it finally falls into its final and proper place 12 in the Word USIT. In like manner, and as indicated by the dotted line 14, an irregu lar line of lamps or clusters of lamps, each forming the letter S, in various-consecutive positions from its initial position 15 to its final position 16, is arranged so that as the current. is switched successively throu h said line of lamps the letter S will is shown moving and tumbling about until itfalls and rests in its final position 16. Similarly the letters-I and T respectively are shown moving, turning and tumbling about on the sign until they fall into their proper final positions 17 and 18 in order, and the whole word is then clearly dis- .played to the observers.

y In Fig. 2, are indicated diagrammatically electriccircuits and a rotary switch for send-' ing the electric lighting current through the line of lamps forming the consecutive ositions of each letter. For the letter U, the current goes from the battery or electric source 19 to one terminal 20 of the rotary switch 21. As the switch 21 is turned in the direct-ion of the arrow, the current is sent through the short moving switch contact 22, rapidly and successively through the several switch terminals 23, connected in order with the lamps forming the consecutive positions of the letter U and then through the prolonged switch contact 24 to thefinal position of the letter U so that said lamps are caused to glow in regular order, and the letter U thus caused to move and tumble from its initial to its final position of rest as described. The moving switch contacts 22 and 24 then send the current successively through the terminals 25 of the lamps forming theconsecutive positions of the letter S, so as to display said letter moving and tumbling about from its initial to its final position as indicated. The moving switch contacts 22 and 24, then send the current through the terminals 26 and 27 of the letters I'and T respectively, so as to show them in order movin'gand tumbling about from their initial to their final positions. As the rotation of the switch proceeds, and after the whole word appears for a moment, the prolonged switch contact, 24:, 110 closing all the circuits ofthe final lamps at once, the letters U. S..I. T. are obliterated tial positions in that order.

and immediately their intermediate movements.

It is evidentthat the switch may be as their movements.

By this sign intense interest and curiosity Will be aroused by the letters orcharacters moving and tumbling about in such meanlngless fashiomavhich interest and curiosity Will .notbe satisfied until the missing Word or Words are spelled out, when it or they will be deeply impressed upon the memory.

Having thus described my invention, and the mode in W ich the'same is carried into practice, I claim as my invention:

The herein described electric sign consisting of irregular lines of electric lamps or clusters of lamps each lamp or cluster of lamps forming a certain letter of a Word or a certain character of an intelligible arrangement of characters, and each irregular line of-said lamps or clusters of lamps ex tending from an initial'position'out of its Copies They thenreturn to their iniregular order recommence,

position, then through the 5M of this patent may be obtained .for five cents each, by Washington, I). 0.

in said word or arrangement of characters through a consecutive series of disorderly positions to a final regular and orderly position in the Word or intelligible arrangement of letters or characters, and means for switching an electric current successivel throu h the line of lam )S formin the first or one Word or character from its initial, through its intermedlate, to its final. line of lamps forming the next word or character, and y then through the succeeding linesoi' lamps,

until all the letters forming the word or in-' telligible arrangement of characters are shownin their regular order then cutting out the lamps forn'iing the intelligible Word or arrangement of characters, and repeating the display substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand the 2d day of December, 1911.

WI- pIAM HOLDEN WEEKS.

In presence of- CLARENCE L. BURGER, 'THoMAs F. KILRoE.

addressing the Commissioner o1" Patents, 

